Ego traps to avoid

[Geoff-Allen]

Just cruising around cyberspace and found this article -

The Permanency Trap

“Ah Ha! I’ve finally got it, I’ve finally arrived” said the ego, “I’ve finally found that perfect philosophy, the right answer and the meaning to life.” This is the permanence trap. As soon as you think you’ve got it, you’ve gone astray, you’ve missed the point of impermanence and you are grasping at something conceptually secure to hold onto in this ever changing world.

The ego grasping onto permanence is so often an intellectual grasping, you think you’ve got it, the answer to your problems, the final conclusion. This is a trap. This dulls the sensitivity to the present moment, it breeds arrogance and ultimately brings huge disappointment. As Zen Master Suzuki says “…the minds readiness for anything is wisdom.” He goes on to warn “that in an expert’s mind there are few possibilities but in a beginners mind there are many.”

It is also very wise to always remember the first line of the Tao Te Ching when you think you’ve finally got the right answer:

"The truth that can be named is not the real truth."

The Five Ego Traps To Avoid in Meditation

Enjoy!

 

[Mock Turtle]

I especially like this:

To believe there is some fixed separate person that is enlightened is exactly what the ego does. The ego is believing in some fixed identity that endures over time, instead of the ever changing relationships and processes that make life what it actually is. This trap also includes believing other people like Gurus or Masters to be enlightened; to see them as perfected beings and you as a lower or lesser type of being is exactly how the ego operates; by solidifying and comparing. Believing in others’ identity as perfect is actually just the ego projected outward.

And always a little tricky to decide where the truth lies (or doesn't lie )

 

[Geoff-Allen]

More about facing the death of your ego? -

Continuing a rather morbid string of blog posts, I want to talk about ego death. In my ebook, Everyday Spirituality, I essentially outline a gentle way to take apart your ego. At the same, time the concepts in the book are meant to help you create a lighter and more loosely held sense of self--a spiritual ego, if you will. Because anyway you cut it, while you are living in this body, you have a point of view and collected set of experiences that you express as "you." And that's okay. It's just important that you know that you're doing this and that you can choose to change how you are when it is time to make that shift in yourself.

But before we get there, the original ego that thinks the world revolves around it or that there is no other way of living. The spark of a spiritual opening or an awakening can light a fire under this ego. In awakening, the fire can be so strong that it fissures the ego away from the soul, leaving no doubt about what is real. Everyone experiences this differently, but let's take some time to talk about what ego death is, how it may feel, and what you can do to move through it.

Full article here -

Facing Your Ego's Death

 

[Geoff-Allen]

At that site - ego tricks to watch for

For this talk, I felt like offering some insights on a few very common tricks the ego uses any time it runs up against something that challenges its story. It is very common for people to learn things on the spiritual path that expose false beliefs and issues inside of them. This is great and should be expected! However, the ego sees such realizations as threats to your existence. It will then find ways to avoid accepting and confronting these discoveries in an attempt to "protect" you.

But you're not under threat. Your ego is the one under threat, and you are not your ego or your beliefs. Understanding the above statements are some of several important ways to not get fooled by your ego. By getting wise to the 7 ego tricks I'll discuss, you'll also learn when an important issue is being revealed because the ego generally gets most triggered when a significant issue is being discovered. When this happens, you can learn to accept and face the issue rather than avoid it, and that can help you go further in your spiritual development.

For a little more -

Recording: 7 Ego Tricks to Watch Out For

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

You can learn to spot your ego. When your ego is in charge:

you’re often caught in circling thoughts (thinking about the same things over and over)

you’re often consumed by your emotions (especially hurt, disappointment and anger)

your inner dialogue is heavily focused on anxieties, fears, doubts and self-criticism (I’m not good enough, I’m not beautiful, I can’t do this, I totally stuffed up, I am bad at this, my life is meaningless)

your worth is dependent on external things (whether you’ve got a partner, a mortgage, a great job, a beautiful wardrobe, a huge circle of friends)

you desperately need validation from other people

you’re easily bruised when things don’t go your way, people don’t act in the way you expect them to, people let you down, or people say or do things to offend you

Your ego is something you have to live with, but you don’t have to listen to it or believe what it has to say.

Try not to take it too seriously. It’s not the real you.

Comes from this site -

Differences Between Your Soul And Your Ego - Elyse Santilli

 

[Aupmanyav]

Don't know about God or soul (or would not go into my views in this topic), but agree to you that ego-traps need to be avoided. I appreciate your thread.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Don't know about God or soul (or would not go into my views in this topic), but agree to you that ego-traps need to be avoided. I appreciate your thread.

Fair enough!

I have experienced the wacky antics of my ego and have learned not to take it too seriously as that almost always leads to trouble ...

 

[Mock Turtle]

You can learn to spot your ego. When your ego is in charge:

you desperately need validation from other people

The one thing I don't seek - well not excessively. I think this is my problem.

Your ego is something you have to live with, but you don’t have to listen to it or believe what it has to say.

Mine rarely says a word - the lazy b*****d.

Try not to take it too seriously. It’s not the real you.

Trouble is, I don't think many recognise the real me.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

The one thing I don't seek - well not excessively. I think this is my problem.



Mine rarely says a word - the lazy b*****d.



Trouble is, I don't think many recognise the real me.

A lazy ego - I suppose that is better than a rampantly active one?? Some egos just love to create drama.

It's 2 am and I am wide awake ... did another little search and found this -

How to detect the (spiritual) Ego at play - Wake Up Experience

All the best!